Pose serious health risk to the healthy.
It’s definitely a bad idea to exercise wearing one.
The infuriating thing about this is the inability of some people to understand that there are no risk-free actions, or to accuse people who think that destroying the economy is sort of a bad idea of wanting grandma to die. They act like children.
[Update early afternoon]
The uncertainties of mask use demand that no one be forced to wear them.
The author writes, “The researchers found that the mask reduced the blood oxygen levels (pa02) significantly.” They found statistical significance but the decrease was no greater than 2 percentage points after three or 4 hours. They concluded, “It is thought that after a very short time the barrier function of the surgical face mask is gone. Thus it is hard to believe that these masks serve as a reducer of oxygen uptake, but they may be acting as a psychological restriction over spontaneous breathing of the active surgeon.” http://scielo.isciii.es/pdf/neuro/v19n2/3.pdf
Where they help, which this essentially ignores, is preventing the spread of virus particles by the asymptomatic. We know from the antibody studies that there are a significant number of people that contract the virus and have no symptoms, or only mild ones. That’s why we should have universal mask requirements in buildings.
And the health risks he cites were for long duration use of an N95 respirator, which, if properly worn, will help reduce your chances of contracting a respiratory disease.
Here’s an example of the lethality of masks worn in inappropriate circumstances: https://nypost.com/2020/05/06/two-boys-drop-dead-in-china-while-wearing-masks-during-gym-class/
Two 14 year old boys were forced to run laps while wearing these masks, and dropped dead. It’s a no-brainer to see that it was due to lack of oxygen.
My wife can’t wear a mask for the same reason. She can’t get enough oxygen, and will pass out.
I think that the data most urgently needed aren’t how many people have the virus (the least of our concerns), or even how many have antibodies (of far more value than most other data): it’s air sample data in stores and out on the street, giving an indication of the viral load per unit volume of air as a function of number density of people, with enclosed or unenclosed and sunlight/warm or dark/cold as parameters. There are standard pathogen air sampling systems that are relatively cheap, and it would be very easy to get some volunteers (like me) to go around and collect some very precisely documented data. We’d know if there was even the slightest risk of infection in given situations.
I doubt if there is, because, as I’ve written before, in all of our many shopping excursions in the past six weeks, neither of us has heard anyone cough or sneeze. That in itself is remarkable.
I support wearing masks (or better) where needed (indoors in crowded stores, etc.). Wearing one while outside in an uncrowded setting, or while exercising, is IMHO insane.
This study is IMHO baloney. I’ve checked myself with an oximeter while wearing a respirator (more restrictive than a mask) and I see no discernible measurement difference. This is fairly trivial even if so; you get the same effect by gaining a couple of thousand feet in altitude.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/47ed2148dde69ffe583d4880ae69642b333585163e3a7424417b3cc5a59ca639.jpg?w=800&h=737
I wear a dust mask outside when I mow the lawn, otherwise I cough and sneeze until I can’t mow anymore. It does make breathing significantly harder.
On the other hand, wearing a mask in Whole Foods last week, I noticed I could plainly smell the nearby fancy soap display, despite the mask. And this week, I have a cold, despite masking, gloving, and social distancing. Maybe I caught it from the cat.
I just made a run to Home Depot, to pick up a transition fitting for our pond pump. The place was packed – busier than I’ve ever seen it in the pre-coronavirus days. More than half of the people were not wearing masks, including the store employees.
Virginia is still supposedly in lockdown, but it won’t last very much longer no matter what our governor says or does.
I thought the scare stories about CO2 came from the global warming fanatics.
I did an experiment. I put a surgical mask on and read my O2 level on a pulse oximeter. It read 95. I took the mask off and it still read 95.
That’s not a good experiment. You’d need to both leave it on for a while, and exert yourself (depleting the oxygen).